Which Maui Hotel on points (SPG, Marriott, or Hyatt) for Family Vacation?
 

I have Hyatt, SPG and Marriott points I will be needing two rooms.. We have 4 kids ages 17-24. Any thoughts.. I was thinking Hyatt Regency or Wailea Marriott Beach...

I'm partial to the Wailea Marriott myself. There is also an Andaz next door that used to be a Renaissance--I walked over to check it out and was underwhelmed, but many on the Hyatt board are starstruck.

If you stay up in the Ka'anipali area, the Westin is very nice. Avoid the Sheraton. The Hyatt Regency is fine but unremarkable.

They're all pretty much the same when you get right down to it. Mid-Level, family friendly hotels on a beach. Go for the one with the best points deal. Personally I prefer the Kaanipali area because there is a Roy's.

I'd lean towards the Marriott at Wailea as being the most family-friendly.

Loved the Andaz, but I found it to be a little more adult-oriented. The Hyatt is nice, but it is on the bottom of Kaanapali Beach on a stretch that is full of coral and not great for swimming.

Did you look at Marriott's Ocean Club property? It's on a much nicer part of the beach in Kaanapali.

I saw that you also posted on the 26th in the Westin Maui thread that you were trying to decide between it & the Hyatt Regency, so it sounds like maybe you've narrowed it down to those two. I've stayed at the Hyatt Regency, Westin Villas, & Westin Maui, and they all have their pros & cons. I'll start by saying that I do generally agree with @travelinmanS, both the Hyatt Regency & the Westin Maui are mid-level, family friendly hotels on Kaanapali beach with similar offerings, so I would probably do whichever one is the best points deal. But, let me add a few more thoughts.

The Westin is a lovely, tropical property, on a nicer stretch of beach, right next door to Whaler's Village (lots of shops & restaurants), and one tower of the rooms (Ocean Tower, I believe) were nicely renovated in 2014. It has an adults only pool & bar, & a huge main pool that's also very nice with a large waterslide. They also provide a shuttle to the Westin Villas & the Sheraton (in case you want to go eat at one of their restaurants) & to 3 different stops in Lahaina, which is nice. The on-site dining is nothing special, but again, you have Whaler's Village next door which adds several options. The Westin Spa was nice, we had a lovely couples massage there and enjoyed the facilities. I haven't been to the Hyatt spa though to compare.

The Hyatt is a beautiful property with a gorgeous, huge pool overlooking the ocean. The Regency itself doesn't have an adults only pool, but the main pool is so large that it's easy to find space to get away from kids if you want, and they also have a great 'keiki lagoon' pool where many younger children play. Additionally, now that the Hyatt Residence Club is open next door, you can use all 4 of their pools (and other amenities), including an adults only infinity pool. Back at the Regency, something else I'm sure your young adult children will love is the swim-through waterfalls & cave & the grotto bar inside, it's really fun. The pools are also open an hour later (til 11pm) at the Hyatt vs the Westin, if you have any night owls.

I think the Hyatt has better food options, if you ever eat onsite. They have more restaurants onsite than the Westin period, and I think better quality/nicer. Japengo is one of our favorite restaurants on Maui, and we have eaten at many nice/highly praised places. It's delicious, and has great views. Additionally, Umalu is open until midnight which is nice. The beach is not the greatest, but it's a short walk up to nicer stretches of beach. Unfortunately the Hyatt only provides a shuttle to Whaler's Village, so Westin does have them beat shuttle-wise. The rooms also haven't been fully renovated since 2011, though they're still pretty nice. Oh, I can't forget the Penguins in the lobby of the Hyatt, one of my favorite things there!

Will you have status with either SPG or Hyatt? I would factor that in as well, since that could get you some nice benefits like free breakfast in a lounge, discounted parking, etc.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks for all the information. Honestly I keep changing my mind where to stay. Marriott is probably the best deal regarding my points and getting a better room.
I cant get into the Ocean club unless i rent from an owner for a weeks rental and only looking at 5 nights. I like the Kaanapali area better but Marriott points are better for us. Might also just go with a condo at Kaanapali Alli the only negative there is no on site things for the kids like the other resorts.

I'd recommend one of the Westin Villas - Ka'anapali Ocean Resort, regular or north. You can get studio, 1BR, or 2BR, with beds, sleeper sofa, etc. Kitchen, washer/dryer, etc., all are in the room.

We prefer Ka'anapali to Wailea. Our first stay was at the Westin, with the second at the Wailea Marriott. After experiencing both, subsequent stays have been at the Sheraton and/or the Ka'anapali villas.

I had a good stay at the Sheraton Maui in December 2015, just before Christmas. Used SNA to upgrade to the Junior Suite. Not a bad resort hotel, but it was no Mystique or Vana Bell either. Breakfast wasn't Hong Kong Sheraton nor Pullman St Pancras neither. Dinner onsite was overpriced as hotel dinners generally are, we didn't have a choice as the nearby (walkable) Whalers' Village was generally packed by the time we decided what we wanted to eat or we returned from day trips too late.

Also facilities-wise, we would have a preferred large-ish pools to actually exercise in (we both generally swim about a mile at a time) rather than a small-ish resort pool with a canal-like network.

But what we really liked about the place was that the beach was a decent spot to snorkel (by the Black Rock) with resident turtles (at least 3) that showed up all but one of the mornings that we were in the water. That was the real winner.

I saw alot of guests from other Ka'anapali hotels using the Sheraton Maui beach and facilities. So I guess they liked it too.

I actually have a question about this. I am SPG Gold and want to stay at Westin Villas Kaanapali, but I plan to rent via VRBO or an owner directly (much, much cheaper than renting via Starwood). Will my status mean anything if I didn't book through SPG? I also have an SPG Business Amex that allows me to use the club lounge at Sheratons. I assume I'd have to be staying at the Sheraton in order to enjoy this perk?

Hotels In Maui
 

Hi All,
Looking for a bit of advice on Maui hotels. My fiancee, her sister, and I recently booked tickets for a Maui vacation between 8/31 - 9/7, and we are in need of a hotel to call home for the trip. None of us have ever been to the Island so we are in need of advice on where to stay.

A bit about me:
I am Starwood gold, Marriott gold, and Hilton gold. I have enough Starwood points for 5 of the 7 nights, so I am probably a bit partial to either Starwood or Marriott (also hoping to get an upgrade with a second bedroom).That said, if you think another hotel brand is significantly better than a starwood/Marriott property I am not against booking there and using my Starwood points for other trips I have planned in 2017.

What we are looking for, hotel wise.
I would say direct beach access is a big plus, and being relatively close to shops/restaurants is important as well. I don't think we want to be right downtown, but closes enough where we can walk or take a quick car/bike ride to get where we need to go. Definitively not looking for a secluded resort. Also, I would say we are not looking for a hotel/resort that is super child heavy.

Appreciate the help, let me know if any other information is needed.

I don't think you'll get upgraded to a 2-bedroom suite with Gold, if that's what you're wondering. Also, keep in mind that with Marriotts, if it's a resort, you don't get the free breakfast.

We booked a 2-bedroom condo at the Westin Villas Kaanapali for about $3600 for a week in July. Did it privately so did not use points. We have a second week at the Residence Inn Wailea on points. I called and they were willing to charge me the difference between the studio I booked w/ points (only option on points) and the 2 bedroom, but the cost was more than just booking another room. So I stuck with the studio and will see if any additional options once we arrive.

People like the location of the Sheraton at Kaanapali. If you have a Biz SPG Ax, you could get club access there. And use points for your room.

Keep in mind that I have not been to Maui yet, but I did exhaustively research the hotels there before booking our two weeks.